1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to syringes and, more particularly, to a syringe having a luer cap including anti-reflux capabilities for transfer to an indwelling catheter.
2. Background of Related Art
Intravenous or I.V. catheters which are inserted into a patient's vasculature, e.g., vein, to facilitate a variety of different medical procedures, including blood withdrawal, medication delivery, dialysis, etc., over an extended period of time are well known in the art. Such I.V. catheters minimize the pain and discomfort to a patient associated with multiple needle injections which may be required during a hospital stay.
One problem associated with I.V. catheters is that I.V. catheters are susceptible to clotting and may also lead to infection. More particularly, if blood stagnates within the catheter, the blood will eventually clot and occlude the catheter lumen. Further, stagnant blood provides a food source for planktonic bacteria which may form a biofilm and cause infection.
To overcome these problems, systems have been developed for flushing I.V. catheters after fluid has been injected into or removed from the catheter. In one such system, a syringe having a luer connector which is pre-filled with a fluid or lock solution, e.g., saline or heparin, is connected to the I.V. catheter and fluid is dispensed from the syringe to flush any medicament, blood or other fluid from the catheter.
Typically, an I.V. catheter includes a valve structure connected to a proximal end of the catheter which imparts either neutral or positive (distal direction) displacement upon the fluid in the catheter when a syringe is detached from the valve structure. One problem associated with known valve structures is that repeated access increases the potential for introducing bacteria and other microorganisms into the catheter leading to infection. Furthermore, at times, these valve structures don't eliminate the existence of reflux, i.e., fluid or blood flow back into the distal end of the catheter. As discussed above, reflux may result in clotting of the catheter or infection and is undesirable.
Accordingly, a continuing need exists in the medical arts for a syringe type flush system which can be easily connected to an I.V. catheter assembly, operated in a conventional manner and used as a means for capping or sealing off the proximal end of the catheter without causing reflux, thus obviating the need for reusable valve structures.